Property briefs

Macquarie Bank
will exercise its remaining options in
Goodman Group
securities. The 163.8 million options were acquired at the depths of Goodman’s refinancing with a price of about 30¢ compared with the current figure of over 70¢. Robert Harley

Hobart’s median house price broke the $400,000 mark in March according to the Real Estate Institute of Tasmania. REIT president Peter Bushby said the median had increased 29 per cent in the past year and 10 per cent in the month. Robert Harley

Most first-home buyers who bought property in the past two years can afford interest rates of up to 9 per cent, and some are budgeting for up to 12 per cent, according to a Mortgage Choice survey. The first-home buyer survey found almost half the respondents’ main concern was not being able to afford repayments and 86 per cent had no regrets about buying. The biggest motivator was to be financially secure in the future. Of the 14 per cent who had regrets, the most common reasons were being so influenced by the federal government’s grant, not buying in a different area and not waiting until they were more financially comfortable. Michelle Singer